Maine lawmakers fail to overturn governor’s veto of data center moratorium
News ClipNewsradio WGAN |·Jay, Franklin County, ME·4/29/2026
Maine lawmakers failed to overturn Governor Mills' veto of a bill that would have imposed a first-in-the-nation moratorium on large data centers. The measure, which aimed to temporarily ban new data center projects of at least 20 megawatts, did not receive the required two-thirds majority in the House to override the veto. Governor Mills agreed on the need to study data center impacts but rejected the bill due to its lack of an exemption for a proposed $500 million data center at a former paper mill in Jay.
moratoriumgovernmentenvironmentalelectricity
Gov: Maine legislature, Gov. Mills, Maine House
The Maine legislature upheld Governor Mills' veto of a bill proposing a statewide moratorium on large data centers, marking a significant development for data center regulation in the state. The vote in the Maine House on Wednesday fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the governor's veto, effectively rejecting the temporary ban.
The proposed legislation sought to halt new data center projects exceeding 20 megawatts to allow the state time to study their impacts on infrastructure and the environment, particularly concerning electricity and water usage. However, Governor Mills, while acknowledging the need for careful evaluation of rapid data center expansion, cited the bill's failure to include an exemption for a proposed $500 million data center project at a former paper mill in Jay as her reason for the veto.